How many of us have gone through times of confusion, longing for clarity? What does God want of me? Why is this thing happening? Where am I supposed to go? Anxiety rises at times to a fevered pitch as we demand answers through our prayer.

Limbo is a tough place to be! As Tom Petty put it, “The waiting is the hardest part.”

Yet sometimes, many times, that is what God is asking of us. We don’t know why and it is hard to accept. For driven problem-solvers and result-oriented people; waiting is considered a waste of our time. Yet it is a time of possibility, growth and blessing.

John Michael Talbot expresses God’s meaning for this time of limbo and confusion beautifully in his song, “Holy Darkness:”

As you meditate on this song, ponder these things:

Is the waiting somehow easier as you think on these lyrics?

Does this song help to illuminate God’s purpose in making us wait? What do you think He is trying to teach us?

What do you think you need to do in order to learn how to wait? How will you implement it this week?

2 Comments

Tom Petty’s refrain has echoed through my head on many, many occasions: waiting for the test results, waiting for the day of surgery, waiting for a feeling of normalcy to return (there’s no such thing). Waiting for a baby to arrive, a teenager to come home, a loved one to pass peacefully into the next life. Waiting in line at the grocery, waiting for a train to pass, waiting at the amusement park. I know JMT, and I know the song he sings here, but I didn’t know they went together, so, thanks for introducing me! It’ll be humming through my head all day, along with the back-up whine of Tom Petty.